Crawley-Homechoice. Choice Based Lettings Scheme Guide. What you have to do next and what to expect.

Transcription

1 Crawley-Homechoice Choice Based Lettings Scheme Guide What you have to do next and what to expect user guide greyscale DEC2013.indd 1 11/12/ :35:00

2 Welcome to Crawley-Homechoice About Crawley-Homechoice. Crawley-Homechoice is the new name for the council s Choice Based Lettings Scheme. The accommodation available includes council and Housing Association properties for rent as well as shared ownership properties. All available properties are advertised on a weekly basis on the internet or at the town hall. You can search for properties that interest you and bid for these properties if you are on the council s housing register. You can now easily bid for properties in a number of ways Online using the website Or by visiting the Town Hall To help you decide which properties to bid for, you can see what priority of applicant was successful for recently let homes. This information is available both in the newsletter and on the website. Before you bid for a property, you can find out where you would be in the shortlist for that property at the present time. This information is available on the website. Need more help? If you need more assistance you can contact us by phone on or Contents Welcome to HomeChoice 1 How are properties advertised 2 What do the symbols mean? 3 Which properties can I bid for? 4 Bidding on the website 5 How are applications prioritised? 6 How to use the guide On page 2 you will find a quick guide describing how to use the scheme. Page 6 describes which properties you will be able to bid for, and how bidders will be prioritized. user guide greyscale DEC2013.indd 2 11/12/ :35:01

3 How are properties advertised All available properties are advertised each week at and at the town hall. You can also access Homechoice from the council s website by following the links. Properties appear on the website at midnight on Sunday and are available for bidding until midnight on the following Thursday. It does not matter what time of the week you place your bid. The adverts The adverts tell you the landlord (council or housing association), locations, size, rent, type of tenancy and other features of the property to help you decide which properties are right for you. The advert also tells you if there are any special requirements that the applicant must meet, such as age requirements and who will be given priority under the councils Housing Allocations Scheme. A key to the terms and symbols used in all of our adverts can be found overleaf. Expressing your interest in a property (bidding) On the website Visit and login using your housing application number and the date of birth of the main applicant. Visting the Town Hall user guide greyscale DEC2013.indd 3 11/12/ :35:01

4 What do the symbols mean? You will find symbols alongside the property adverts. These symbols indicate details about that property. Property details Types of property Bedrooms The number of bedrooms in this property. Disabled The property is suitable for people with a mobility need. Choice based lettings property Rented property for eligible people on the housing register. Mutual exchange property Own garden This property has its own garden. Mutual exchange property for eligible current council or housing association tenants Maximum age This property is only available to people of the age shown and above. Minimum age At least one household member must be the age shown. Sheltered This is a sheltered property. Off road parking This property has off road parking. Supported This is a supported housing scheme. Shared ownership property A property for people who may be able to buy a part share in a property. Private sector property An approved property available from a private landlord available to anyone. user guide greyscale DEC2013.indd 4 11/12/ :35:01

5 Which properties can I bid for? You are only able to bid for properties that you are eligible for. For example if you require only one bedroom you will not be able to bid for a two bedroom property. The symbols that appear on the adverts indicate any restrictions about who is able to bid for a property. Household size Single Single with overnight access Couple without children Couple or single parent with 1 dependant child Couple or single parent with 2 dependant children of the same sex and both under 16 years old with less than 6 years age gap Size of property applicant is eligible for 1 bedroom property or studio flat 1 bedroom property (but not a bungalow) 1 bedroom property (but not a bungalow) 2 bedroom property (but not a bungalow) see further below under notes regarding 2 bedroom properties 2 bedroom property (but not a bungalow) see further below under notes regarding 2 bedroom properties Couple or single parent with 2 dependant children of same sex and both under 16 years old with more than 6 years age gap Couple or single parent with 2 dependant children of the same sex and both over 16 years old Couple or single parent with 2 dependant children of the opposite sex Couple or single parent with 2 dependant children of the same sex where one is under 16 and one is over 16 Couple or single person with 3 dependant children Couple or single person with 4 or more dependant children Single or couple over 60 years old 2 or 3 bedroom property (but not a bungalow) 3 bedroom property (but not a bungalow) 2 or 3 bedroom property (but not a bungalow) 2 or 3 bedroom property (but not a bungalow) 3 bedroom property (but not a bungalow) Property with minimum of 3 bedrooms and 2 reception rooms (but not a bungalow) or a larger than average 3 bedroom property with 1 reception room In addition to the above, these applicants are also eligible for one or 2 bedroom sheltered or retirement flats and bungalows There is a particular shortage of two bedroom houses and two bedroom ground floor flats with a garden within the Borough. To make best use of the available social rented housing in Crawley, the Council will only offer these properties to people with dependant children under the age of 10. user guide greyscale DEC2013.indd 5 11/12/ :35:02

6 Bidding on the website The website address to use when placing a bid is Through the website you can find full details about the scheme including everything in this document. You can search for properties that meet your needs and see the full details of those properties. You can also place a bid, withdraw a bid, find out if you are eligible and what your current queue position is. What you need to bid In order to bid you will need: Your unique reference number Your memorable date password The property reference number(s) that you want to bid for You can only bid for properties where you match what the advert asks for. For example, if the property advert states Suitable for a couple and two children only regardless of your banding/priority only couples with two children can bid for that property. Don t be worried about the word Bid, you won t be parting with any money. All this means is that you are actively interested and wish to be considered for the property or properties you are applying for. Type in to the address bar of your internet browser. 1 Click the Login/My account option then enter your unique reference number and memorable date. At this stage your login will be confirmed and details of any current bids will be shown. 2 Click the Property search option. Select any search criteria that you require (for example you may wish to search for a particular size of property) and click search. 3 A list of properties matching your search criteria will be displayed. If you are eligible for a property then an Apply Now button will be displayed. Your current queue position should you bid for this property will also be shown but note that this can change as other people bid. If you are not eligible then the reason you are not eligible will be displayed. 4 For a property that you are eligible for click the apply now button. You will be shown the property details and asked to confirm your bid. When you confirm your bid you will be told that your bid has been successfully placed. user guide greyscale DEC2013.indd 6 11/12/ :35:02

7 Offering All bids received will be put in priority order to produce a list of eligible applicants for each property advertised. People will be prioritised by the highest banding first (band A+) and then by the earliest priority housing date. This will ensure that those in the greatest housing needs will be considered first. We will also carry out any outstanding eligibility checks (rent checks, household circumstances checks). If your name is at the top of the priority list you will normally be invited to view the property unless there are reasons why we are unable to do this, for example you have rent arrears or your landlord is taking legal action against you for breaching a tenancy condition or your circumstances have changed and you haven t told us. If no eligible bids are received from people in Band A+, we will then move to Band A, then B, then C and so on. How will I know if my bid has been successful? You will receive a phone call from us. If we cannot contact you the property will be offered to the next person in line. If you do not receive a phone call this means you have not been successful. What happens next? You will be invited to view the property. At the viewing you will need to decide whether to accept or refuse it. If you decide to refuse the property it will be offered to the next person on the priority list. Any offers made that are subsequently refused will count as one of your two offers allowed. If you are offered a property you will not be able to bid for other properties until you have decided to either accept or refuse the offer. If you accept the property after you have viewed it you will be advised of when you can move in. The landlord will tell you when you need to sign the tenancy agreement and collect the keys. Feedback We publish information about homes that have been successfully let. We tell you the number of applicants that bid for the property, the band and priority housing date of the successful applicants. This information is published in the newsletter and is available in the Recent Lets section of the website. This information will give you a better idea of how popular a particular property or area is and how long you would normally have to wait. You can then decide whether to look for other types of property or areas where you may not have to wait as long. user guide greyscale DEC2013.indd 7 11/12/ :35:02

8 Number of offers Please remember that if your bid is successful, it will count as one of your offers of accommodation from the council. If you refuse the second and final offer, your application will be removed from the Housing Register. Note: if you are an accepted homeless applicant you are entitled to one offer. If you refuse your one offer your temporary accommodation will be withdrawn and your homeless application closed. You will have to find your own accommodation. Other restrictions From time to time a landlord may put a restriction on who can bid for a property. For example, only people who are in employment or people who are of a certain age. There may also be a local lettings plan in place for a particular estate or block of flats which may restrict a person for bidding for one of those properties. We will explain this in the property advert. Did you know that it is a criminal offence if you knowingly or recklessly make a statement which is false or withhold information which is relevant to the assessment of your application?? The Council will continue to check the details of your application even after it has been accepted. If the Council s enquiries show that you have committed such an offence, it will consider bringing a prosecution against you. The penalty for such an offence if you are found guilty is a criminal record and a fine of up to 5,000. In addition to this, your application will be automatically disqualified from the Housing Register. user guide greyscale DEC2013.indd 8 11/12/ :35:03

9 Moving between bands When you first join the Housing Register, your Priority Housing Date will be your date of application. Then, if your circumstances change, your Priority Housing Date will also change as follows: If your banding moves up due to a change in your circumstances, your new Priority Housing Date will be the date you let us know that your circumstances had changed. If your banding moves down to a band you were previously in, your new Priority Housing Date will be the date we originally placed you into this lower banding. If your banding moves downwards to a band you were not previously in, your Priority Housing Date will not change. Time limited bands If your application is placed into Band A+ there is a limit on the length of time you can remain in this band. This is three months. At the end of the time allowed your application will be reviewed and your priority may be reduced. Priority bands The current bandings are: Band A+ Emergency or urgent priority Band A Very high priority Band B High priority Band C Medium priority Band D Low priority It is fair to say that if your application is assessed as either Band C or Band D it is very unlikely that you will be offered council or housing association accommodation. You should look for alternative housing options. user guide greyscale DEC2013.indd 9 11/12/ :35:03

10 Further information I am a homeless applicant - what happens if I don t bid? You will be expected to bid within six months of the date your homeless application was accepted. If you do not, the council will bid for you and this will count as a formal offer. If we do not receive a response from you, we will cancel your application. We will, of course, tell you that we have done so and give you 21 days if you want to request a review of the decision to cancel your application. What if I am unable to use the choice based lettings system? Do not worry. Get in touch with us straight away and we will help you. If you still cannot bid because you are vulnerable or have a disability, we will give you advice on other ways you can use the system. For example, people over 60 and those with support needs are able to take advantage of an automatic bidding service. This service will place up to 3 automatic bids for you. These bids will only be for the areas of Crawley that you want. In addition, the bids will be placed on the properties that you have the best chance of successfully bidding for. These automatic bids are placed just before bidding closes (at midnight on Thursday). Please contact us if you would like to be considered for this service. What should I do if my circumstances change? You should contact us straight away. You can call into the Town Hall, or call us on or send us a message from your housing register account on-line. You can also update your housing application from your account. If you update your application yourself, one of the team will re-assess your application and send you a message for either more information or confirm that the assessment has taken place. Reviewing the housing register On the yearly anniversary of your application, we will ask you if you want to stay on the register for housing for a further 12 months. We will usually send you a message, or letter. Taking you off the register We will normally cancel your application in the following circumstances: You have asked us to cancel your application. You have accepted the tenancy of a property provided by us or another social housing landlord. You have accepted an offer under the shared ownership scheme You buy a council property with your husband, wife, partner, mother, father, daughter or son under the right to buy scheme. You no longer qualify to be on the register based on the conditions explained earlier in this leaflet. You have successfully moved under the mutual exchange scheme What should I do if I have further questions? Should you have any further queries regarding your application, please contact us on and we will endeavour to answer your questions. user guide greyscale DEC2013.indd 10 11/12/ :35:05

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